Responsible tourism

At Park Trek we are passionate about guiding walkers to beautiful and interesting locations. However, we are also aware that this has impacts on the places we visit. To ensure that we preserve the character and beauty of these destinations Park Trek aims to minimize our environmental footprint and support local communities.

Minimal impact while walking

Most walkers are familiar with the basics of minimal impact behavior or the ‘Leave-No-Trace’ philosophy. Some the most important points are:Prepare – through contacts with park managers we know the regulations and special concerns of the areas we visit.

Prepare – through contacts with park managers we know the regulations and special concerns of the areas we visit.

Tread softly – we stay on tracks and board walks whenever possible. When walking off the beaten track we try to stay on hard surface to avoid creating new tracks.

Pack in-Pack out – we do not leave anything on the trail. Any rubbish generated by us is always brought back out.

Small groups – while walking we are trying to limits groups sizes. Larger groups are often split into two parties.

Respect wildlife – we don’t interfere with animals in anyway, and avoid feeding or touching wildlife. When we encounter wildlife we do our best not to disturb them.

Consider hosts and other visitors – we respect the wishes of our hosts, be it Indigenous people, land managers or locals. We respect other visitors we encounter on the trails.

Supporting local communities

The destinations we visit are more often than not located in remote or rural communities. As visitors we are dependent on the locals to provide us with accommodation and other services. To support the local economy we use local service providers as much as we can.

Accommodation – when looking for places to stay, we favor locally owned accommodation, particularly those committed to environmentally sustainable practices.

Eat and shop local – on each tour we usually spend at least one night out, be it at a small cozy restaurant or at the local pub. Our guests often pick up locally made goods along the way further supporting the local economy.

Local guides – on many tours we are joined by local guides to help provide expert local knowledge. We also often join local tours to learn about bush tucker, indigenous culture or local wildlife.

Accredited Tour Operator for Protected Areas

Many of our tours take place in sensitive protected areas, National Parks and World heritage-listed locations. Only licensed Tour Operators with a proven record of operating according to best practice environmental standards are allowed to operate in such areas.

Each state has its own stringent conditions that tour operators have to abide by. Park Trek is proud of the fact that we are licensed to operate tours in National Parks and protected areas all over Australia. Our guides undertake specialised training focused on Aboriginal culture and heritage and are certified to lead tours in iconic World Heritage sites such as Kakadu.